“People keep thieving my cows so I purchased the gun in Venezuela to protect my livestock,” were the words of an Ann’s Grove man who will spend the next two years behind bars after he admitted to illegally possessing a gun and ammunition.
Thirty-seven-year-old old Shemrick Nedd of Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The first charge stated that on August 28 at Corn Hill Street, Georgetown, he had in his possession a .38 revolver when he was not the holder of a firearm licence enforced at the time.
It was further alleged that on the same day and at the same location, he had in his possession two live rounds of .38 ammunition when he was not the holder of a firearm licence enforced at the time.
An unrepresented Nedd pleaded guilty to the charges after they were read to him by the magistrate.
Facts presented by Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield stated that on the day in question, at around 10:00 hrs, ranks acting on information were conducting checks around the Stabroek Market area when they observed Nedd acting in a suspicious manner.
As a result, they made contact with him and requested to carry out a search on him. However, while searching him, a rank found the gun along with two live rounds in the crotch of his pants.
Nedd, in addressing the court, said, “I purchased the gun in Venezuela to protect my cows because people keep thieving them. I don’t commit no crime with the gun.”
The Chief Magistrate, after listening to the facts, sentenced Nedd to two years for the illegal firearm and two years for the illegal ammunition, with a fine of $100,000.
The sentencing will run concurrently so he will only be spending two years behind bars.
